


Changes for Peter

by cyrene



Series: Long Live [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Hogwarts House Sorting Ceremony, Psst... Peter's mom is a lesbian -- pass it on, deadbeat dads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:06:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27719288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cyrene/pseuds/cyrene
Summary: Turn and face the strange.
Series: Long Live [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2026196
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	Changes for Peter

Peter’s dad comes to pick him up for his eleventh birthday. They go out on the town a bit, have lunch in a café and his dad buys him loads of stuff from the joke shop for presents. When he gets back, his mother’s face is pinched.

“He got you _six galleons_ worth of... of joke stuff?” She carefully taps the ash from her cigarette into the ash tray. “Well, happy birthday, Peter.”

Peter knows what the problem is, why she’s only pretending to be happy for him. He heard her talking about it with Lila in the kitchen when they thought he was asleep.

“He’s a deadbeat is what he is,” Lila had said with a snarl. “Won’t even go in half for Pete’s school supplies? Screw that, Hilda. Look, let me help you out, just this once. I don’t want to see Pete starting Hogwarts in rags any more than you do.”

Peter’s mother had sighed, and agreed. That’s why Peter feels guilty when they go robe shopping a couple of days later. He knows it’s really Lila’s money, and he’s trying to figure out what that means. Why wouldn’t his dad send money for Hogwarts? What is a “deadbeat”? Why is Lila over all the time, anyway?

They are eating ice cream at Florian’s when Peter notices that his mother is acting kind of shifty. She keeps stirring in her seat and looking over at him sharply.

“Peter,” she says finally. “How would you feel if we rented out a room to my friend Lila? We rather need the money, and it might be nice having someone else in the house.”

Peter shrugs, because Lila’s always there anyway. “She’s nice,” he says, because he thinks that’s what he’s supposed to say and, from the way his mother beams with relief, he thinks he might be right.

Peter writes to James that night, to tell him all about his birthday and his letter. Even though James already had his birthday, and his letter, he responds back that night with a foot-long letter full of his excitement.

“We’ll be Gryffindors!” the letter says. “We’ll do it together!”  
  
Peter is secretly terrified that he could never be a Gryffindor. They’ll get to Hogwarts and James will find more suitable friends, people who can keep up with him. But he keeps the letter out on his desk, where he can see it and smile. James believes in him, anyway.

He’s not surprised, when James finds him at the station, to see that James already has another boy in tow. He’s introduced as Sirius Black, and Peter feels a little afraid of him. It’s partly the name recognition, Peter admits, if only to himself, but it’s also a bit that Sirius looks like a tiger who’s just been let out of its cage. But Sirius is instrumental in the dungbomb operation, and Peter can’t help but smile whenever Sirius grins his mad grin.

Next they meet Remus Lupin, their savior. Peter can’t help but like Remus; it’s impossible not to like him, really, when he just knows so darn much about Hobbits and all. And Peter can’t help but smile when Remus’s crooked grin finally makes an appearance.

Peter is thinking that maybe this won’t be so bad after all, and then James reminds him of Gryffindor. All three of the cart’s other occupants look, in their own way, disturbed. Sirius’s face pale and pinched, Remus looking like he might be sick. Peter is trying to keep a straight face and not start bawling, because he just doesn’t feel worthy.

But James is going on like it’s a sure thing, already they’re going to be best mates for life. And that kind of enthusiasm is pretty hard to ignore, at least until he’s actively standing in line, waiting for his name to be called to find out whether or not he can do this.

Sirius does it first. The hat sits on his head for about a minute before calling out, “Gryffindor!” The entire hall is hushed as Sirius steps down from the chair, the first Black to not be sorted in Slytherin in who knew how long. His face is impassive, completely blank, until James sounds a loud, “WOOOO!” and then the Gryffindors all start clapping and cheering for their newest member.

Remus does it next. The hat takes a little longer with him than it did with Sirius, but not an unreasonable amount of time passes before it calls out, “Gryffindor!” and Remus steps down with that goofy grin of his, to the cheers of James and the Gryffindor section.

Next is Peter’s turn. Moment of truth – has he got it in him? Peter sits on the chair and the hat is placed on his head.

“Well, well, what have we here?” a smooth voice says in Peter’s head. “You’re ambitious and cunning enough for Slytherin, boy.”

“Oh, please, _anything_ but Slytherin!” Peter thinks in horror. “Put me in Gryffindor, please!”

“That’s odd,” the hat says in his head. “You’re the third boy today to specifically request Gryffindor.”

“There’s one more to come,” Peter thinks, “but you won’t need convincing for him.”

“This is what you really want?” the hat asks skeptically.

Peter thinks of James, and Sirius, and Remus, and the adventures they’re going to have.

“More than anything,” he thinks.

“All right,” the hat says, “Gryffindor!”

Peter is grinning ear to ear as he joins Sirius and Remus. Now they just have to wait for James, and everything will be good.


End file.
